The 10 best superhero movies of all time

The superhero movie has become the benchmark of cinematic entertainment. Here is our ranking of the 10 best works of the superhero genre.

Avatar: The Way of the Water is a big hit at the worldwide box office. James Cameron’s new film has grossed over $2.117 billion in theaters. Recipes that make it the fourth biggest box office success worldwide ahead of Star Wars, episode VII: The Force Awakens by JJ Abrams. That a science fiction film achieves such a performance today at the world box office is quite surprising. In recent years, only the superhero genre is used to such scores. Recall that the highest -grossing superhero film of all time remains Avengers: Endgame . Released in 2019, the Russo Brothers film has grossed over $2.7 billion.

There’s a lot of diversity in the superhero genre, especially in tone. Films can be violent and deal with mature themes . They are more focused on thinking than on action. There are also productions where entertainment is most important. They put more emphasis on action and humor to have a light tone. It is on these last two criteria that we have selected the films of our top 10.

Contents

10. The Suicide Squad

DC finally gets its Guardians of the Galaxy variant right

• Director: James Gunn
• Released: July 30, 2021
• Duration: 132 minutes
• Casting : Idris Elba, Margot Robbie, John Cena and Viola Davis
• Budget: 185 million de dollars
• Box-office : 171,7 millions de dollars

The Suicide Squad isn’t the most memorable movie in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Nevertheless, it is better than David Ayer’s first adaptation released in 2016. Without being transcendent, James Gunn’s film is funny and entertaining.

9. Iron Man 3

After a rather mixed second opus, the Iron Man franchise needed to reinvent itself. Shane Black was the perfect candidate for this revival. The director knew how to breathe his absurd humor into the film.

• Director: Shane Black
• Released: May 3, 2013
• Duration: 131 minutes
• Casting : Robert Downey Jr, Guy Pearce, Gwyneth Paltrow et Don Cheadle
• Budget: 200 million de dollars
• Box office: $1.215 billion

8. Hellboy

A work shunned by critics and the public. However, Neil Marshall’s film has a lot of quality, in particular its humor, its action scenes and the interpretation of David Harbour . The adaptation is far removed from Guillermo del Toro’s vision for his own. That’s what a lot about Marshall’s feature.

7. Project Power

Project Power is a pleasant surprise that comes out of nowhere. At a time when big licenses like Marvel and DC dominate superhero cinema, this totally independent film brings freshness. It easily makes for a good time on Netflix .

6. Venom

A superhero film that will have divided critics and audiences

• Director: Ruben Fleischer
• Released: October 5, 2018
• Duration: 112 minutes
• Casting : Tom Hardy, Riz Ahmed, Michelle Williams et Scott Haze
• Budget: 116 million de dollars
• Box-office : 856 millions de dollars

Venom received only unfavorable ratings from critics upon release. Yet it was one of the most entertaining films the year it was released. The public was not mistaken there by going massively to see it in the rooms. Fans of the Ultimate Spider-Man game – published by Activision and released in 2005 on PlayStation 2 – greatly appreciated this characterization of Venom in the film. This is pretty close to the game version.

5. Guardians of the Galaxy

The funniest movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

• Director: James Gunn
• Released: August 1 ^, 2014
• Duration: 122 minutes
• Casting : Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Bradley Cooper and Dave Bautista
• Budget: $190 to $240 million
• Box-office : 773 millions de dollars

Only comic book connoisseurs knew who the Guardians of the Galaxy were before the movie was released. The characters are among the best known and most popular in the MCU today. The success of Guardians of the Galaxy rests entirely on the writing and direction of James Gunn . Humor and action are well balanced.

4. Aquaman

The movie that rehabilitated the superhero Aquaman

• Director: James Wan
• Released: December 21, 2018
• Duration: 143 minutes
• Casting : Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson et Willem Dafoe
• Budget: 160 to 200 million dollars
• Box office: $1.148 billion

If only 4 DCEU films were to be selected, Aquaman would be the fourth after Batman v Superman , Man of Steel and Zack Snyder’s Justice League . The film with Jason Momoa, however, stands out from the others with its lighter and more humorous tone. Its strength is undoubtedly its director. The composition and staging of James Wan are exceptional here. Its camera – which gives the impression of floating in water – is a nice find.

Aquaman was long considered a ridiculous superhero. His variant in The Boys series is often the target of mockery. This adaptation of James Wan came to change the game.

3. Blade II

Black Panther was a real phenomenon when it was released in 2018. Ryan Coogler ‘s film is a vibrant tribute to black culture, especially to African roots. It was billed as the first feature film to actually showcase a black superhero. But this is not the case. Blade II did not promote black and African culture. Nevertheless, it cannot be taken away from being the first production of the superheroic genre to iconize an African-American character .

The writing and directing – especially the action sequences – overemphasize the character of Blade (Wesley Snipes). We can consider this adaptation of Guillermo del Toro as an essential work in the superhero genre.

2. Deadpool 2

A benchmark of superhero action cinema

• Director: David Leitch
• Released: March 10, 2018
• Duration: 119 minutes
• Casting : Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Zazie Beetz et Morena Baccarin
• Budget: 110 million de dollars
• Box-office : 785,8 millions de dollars

The return of Deadpool could have turned into a drama with a catastrophic sequel. Tim Miller, director of the first opus, left the sequel project due to artistic differences. David Leitch – to whom we owe the excellent Atomic Blonde released in 2017 – takes over. The former stuntman turned filmmaker then spreads his science of cinematographic action on Deadpool 2 . The result is one of the most enjoyable action-packed superhero movies.

The action was a bit lacking in the first game. The latter focused more on humor, including breaking the fourth wall . The difference is notable between the two films as far as the action is concerned. Leitch’s adaptation is clearly on top. Prefer The Super Duper Cut version for viewing.

1. Kick-Ass 2

The craziest superhero movie, even without a superpower

• Director: Jeff Wadlow
• Released: August 14, 2013
• Duration: 103 minutes
• Casting: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz, Jim Carrey and Christopher Mintz-Plasse
• Budget: 28 million dollars
• Box-office : 60 millions de dollars

It happens that a director cannot come back to make a second opus. Often, this is not a good sign for the future. Kick-Ass directed by Matthew Vaughn surprised everyone when it was released in 2010. The film met with great success and a sequel project was quickly confirmed. But the director could not ensure the realization of the second opus. Fans had reason to be concerned. In the end, there was more fear than harm, because Jeff Wadlow did such a great job directing Kick-Ass 2 .

The sequel is crazier and more spectacular than its predecessor. It introduces new characters as absurd as each other. Jim Carrey manages to steal the show for the rare times the actor appears in the film. The humor in Kick-Ass 2 isn’t the most subtle, but it’s still effective. Remember that the plot takes place in a realistic world and that superheroes have no superpowers. Despite this, Wadlow’s film still has its fair share of jaw-dropping action scenes. Kick-Ass 2 is a crazy and very entertaining superhero movie .